The Land of Microprocessors and High Tech

Even if you don’t visit the Promised Land, the Promised Land’s technology is coming to you.

If you thought Israel was best known in the worldwide business community for its exports of oranges, olive oil, wines, and diamonds, I’ve got news for you. Israeli technology is growing by leaps and bounds. If Leaps and Bounds was an Olympic event, Israel would take home the gold. Here is just a selection of the exciting developments happening right now in the land of milk and honey.

Israeli technology is growing by leaps and bounds.

Say Goodbye to Surgical Stitches And Staples

If a new Israeli product from IonMed gets market approval, surgeons will have a revolutionary tool in their hands for scar-free incision closure. Finally, I’ll be able to have my appendix removed without worrying about it interrupting my swimsuit modeling career. But even more importantly, women giving birth by Caesarean section could be the first to benefit from a revolutionary Israeli invention for closing surgical incisions without stitches or staples. And with the money you save on stitches and staples, you’ll be able to give the surgeon a nice tip. The technique also promises to leave patients less prone to infection and scarring. BioWeld1, a unique trademarked product from Israeli startup IonMed, welds surgical incisions using cold plasma. This is a big improvement over the duct tape used by many HMO surgeons today. The procedure takes a few minutes, seals the area completely, leaves minimal scarring or painful stitches, and does not require complex training. And you know what that means – we’ll soon see it being pitched on Fox’s reality show, “Shark Tank”!

Priceline snaps up Israeli ad tech start-up

The acquisition of Qlika by online travel giant Priceline is the latest win for Israel’s blooming advertising technology industry. The next challenge will be to learn how to pronounce “Qlika.” Media reports said that Priceline paid around $3 million cash for the company. That’s nearly as much as a one-week stay in a U.S. hospital. The Qlika deal is just the latest success for an Israeli company in the area of advertising technology, which has become an important part of the Israeli technology ecosystem. For those unfamiliar with the term “ecosystem,” that’s where you shout out the word “system” across a canyon and you hear your voice coming back to you.

Established in 2012 by three classmates at Hebrew University, Qlika concentrates on “micro-marketing” – targeting consumers in very small geographical areas, with very specific search results for mobile device users based on what they are looking for and where they are. In other words, you can run, but you can’t hide from their advertising. Qlika’s technology creates campaigns geared to directing customers to local businesses and services. According to the company, the approach Qlika takes to online advertising has helped several of its clients – described as “major US advertisers” – increase their return on investment in Qlika’s services by as much as 50%. And that’s a language that any company can understand.

Israeli tech PointGrab puts you in gesture control

Imagine gesturing “open” at your refrigerator and watching the doors part as if by magic. Picture entering a dark room and signaling the light to go on with the point of your finger. Oh, sure, that’s easy enough if your name is Moses, Merlin or Houdini, but what about the rest of us civilians? Good news – we can now do all that, too! Thanks to an Israeli startup called PointGrab, life is now a breeze. Now, you don’t have to press the buttons on your remote control to channel surf; nor do you have to get up to switch songs on the computer across the room. Your bare hands can do the trick. Talk about a great way to impress your date.

How is this possible? Chalk it up to PointGrab’s advanced gesture recognition software, on the market since 2010, which offers an intuitive way of interacting with consumer devices. Through finger, hand and two-hand movements, the software communicates with the standard camera of PCs, tablets, smartphones and TVs for a whole new user experience. To paraphrase the famous line from “Captain Phillips” – you’re the captain now.

Its Hybrid Action Recognition technology – which won the Frost & Sullivan 2013 European Technology Innovation Award – was introduced last July and can accurately and reliably anticipate, detect and analyze shapes and movements up to 17 feet away. Reminds me of my Uncle Ralph, who could do that at the beach. PointGrab does not sell directly to consumers, but to equipment manufacturers. So, start sucking up to equipment manufacturers.

When it comes to finding and paying for parking spots in cities all over the world, Israeli technologies like Anagog, Parko and Pango are leading the way.

You may already be involved with Israeli technology. Chances are you already use the Israeli app Waze to find the best route to wherever you want to drive. After arriving, you might have another Israeli company to thank for finding you a parking spot and paying for it without a hassle. Pango is an app that lets you book and pay for on-street and parking lot spots via iOS, Android or Blackberry device, in Israel and in a growing number of major US cities. That’s right – even if you don’t go to the Promised Land, the Promised Land’s technology is bringing itself to you.

Thanks to the convenience of its patented pay-by-phone technology – no need for cash or paper tickets – Pango is the leading app to pay for parking in Israel. If you won’t make it to your car before the time runs out, you get a reminder to “feed the meter” from your phone. If you’re done early, you can use the “unpark” option to be billed only for the time you’ve been parked. And rumor has it that Pango is working on a Jewish mother add-on function that can remind you to sit up straight, eat with an appetite, and explain why your cousin Michael is so much more successful than you are.

But how do you find a spot? Thought you’d never ask. Another Israeli startup, Parko, uses crowdsourcing and GPS to steer drivers to spots that other users are about to vacate. If they’re not vacating fast enough, Parko will send over one of its Vacating Specialists, such as Big Vinnie, to convince them to get a move on. Integration with Pango users aims to give drivers the most accurate info possible – or, at least more accurate than they had been getting from their Aunt Sheila and Uncle Mort.

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About the Author

Mark Miller is a comedy writer who has performed stand-up comedy in nightclubs and on TV, written on numerous sit-com staffs, been a humor columnist for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and is a current humor blogger for The Huffington Post. His first book, a collection of his humor essays on dating and romance, was published by Skyhorse Publishing on February 3rd of 2015. Its title: 500 Dates: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the Online Dating Wars. But he says he’d trade all his success away in a minute for immortality, inner peace and limitless wealth. Follow his website/blog at: http://www.markmillerhumorist.com/. And he can be reached at: mark.writer@gmail.com

Visitor Comments: 2

(2)
Anonymous,
July 11, 2014 3:36 AM

This was great!

Funny AND informing! (is that a word?). I love reading up on the latest technology, miracles in our daily life, and you made it fun to do so with your terrific humor! How I wish the doctors had BioWeld1 twenty two years ago, when I could have used it, big-time, after a terrible car crash. On a happier note, I was amazed to watch my daughter use Waze on the the two-lane back-road up to Jerusalem, where it really helps to know if there is a truck up ahead who is chugging along at 25 kilometers an hour on the uphill road, which will make you late for your appointment, since there are 15 cars backed up behind him waiting to pass. Not that there was anything Waze could do about it, but it was cool knowing about it in advance, so we had more time to groan and kvetch!

(1)
kyei zander,
March 28, 2014 11:49 AM

aish make me fill like i am in Israel.

I in love with Israel, because of aish.com. you presents to us the best of Israel. keep it up!

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I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...